Grant Workshop

Objectives

  • To understand Foundation grant process.
  • To become familiar with application & guidelines.
  • To know whether to submit a proposal.
  • To be able to write a proposal.

Deciding Appropriateness

Appropriate If the project:

  • Is important to learning.
  • Can be done…It is practical.
  • Relates to and supports district guiding principles and strategic plan.
  • Is innovative.
  • Is not otherwise fundable.

Inappropriate If:

  • No one but you will benefit.
  • It costs more than the designated award amounts.
  • It does not support district objectives.
  • It is something everyone is already doing or something you are already doing.

Grant Writing Tips

Cover Page

  • Type of Grant
  • Title
  • Amount
  • Names and Signatures
  • Schools, Grades, Subjects
  • Population
  • Dates
  • Abstract

Purpose

Tell what you hope to achieve in general terms.

  • Keep it simple and straightforward.
  • Promise only that which you can achieve.
  • What is the goal of the project?

Example 1

This project is designed to make students good citizens.

This project is designed to increase participation in voting among seniors in high school.

Example 2

This proposal is designed to improve writing.

This project is designed to improve student abilities to apply basic rules of usage and agreement in writing.

Example 3

This proposal addresses improvement of instruction in mathematics.

The purpose of this proposal is to test an approach to teaching the concept of central tendency to eighth grade students using manipulatives against an approach using lecture and the assignment of textbook problems.

Statement Of Rationale

  • How do you know there is a need for this project?
  • How does it relate to district objectives?
  • What problem are you solving?
  • If it works, how will things be better?
  • How does the proposal support the purpose?

Example

Using manipulatives can help children understand mathematics.

Eighth graders in Yucca School have scored low consistently on tests of measures of central tendency. Learning and applying the concept of central tendency is a major objective of the eighth grade curriculum. Research (cite if available) suggests that using concrete objects is a more effective method of teaching mathematics concepts than methods currently used such as lecture and assignment of problems in the text. Needed is a well-designed study to test this proposition.

Objectives

  • Keep the number limited.
  • Imply the evaluation in the statement.
  • Be as specific as possible.
  • Address what you intend to achieve.
  • Relate to purpose.

Example

To promote student creativity.

Given six problem solving exercises, students will score 10% higher on Torrance’s measures of flexibility, originality and fluency than students who have not been given the exercises.

Description/Procedures, Treatments Or Methods

  • Be specific.
  • List steps and timeline.
  • Relate to purpose and objectives.
  • Ask: Will the reader know what I am going to do? Could the reader do it on the basis of my description?
  • Answer questions…Who? What? When? Where? And How?

Example

Students will be taught the importance of voting through a variety of activities.

A three week unit devoted to voter participation will include:

  • Two days devoted to student reading and discussion in seminar groups of excerpts from Campbell’s The American Voter describing why people do and do not vote (sample discussion sheet attached).
  • Four days will be devoted to presentation of election issues by public figures such as Perry, Sanchez……….
  • Four days will be devoted to administering a preference poll.
  • Four days will be devoted to planning and conducting a voter drive.
  • One day will be devoted to working at the polls.

Evaluation

  • Relate to stated project objectives.
  • Plan evaluation strategy and project objectives simultaneously.
  1. Identify the kinds of information that will be needed.
    • Information that requires little or no extra effort to collect.
    • Information to be generated specifically to evaluate the project
  2. Identify times for data collection.
  3. Use this evaluative information to tell in what ways and to what degree the project’s purpose has been accomplished.

Budget

  • Costs clearly support activities.
  • Items are specified.

Example

Materials $500
Time 500
Total $1,000
Item Supplier Quantity Price Amount
The American Voter excerpts Univ. Of Michigan 150 $1.00 $150.00
Political Efficacy Scale Univ. of Houston 150 $.80 $120.00
Total $270.00